Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[Cheeky Chick]

So you did the keritin! Friends of mine swear by it. Here it costs $300.00 or more if they aren't running specials. I think I moight like to buy some cool wigs.be a different woman every nite for the DH. And no time consuming drying/straightening etc. and so on. Hmmmm.....doesn't one of the gabore sisters sell them?

It was 200, I know the ladies there from Football, so I got a slight break. It took almost 4 hours, and it's been torture. I have really frizzy hair if there's a drop of moisture in the air, so I'm hoping this works, like they said it would.
I just can't wait to wash it. It feels disgusting. It looks SO flat too, so I'm stuck looking at my head which is TINY compared to my broad shoulders. Ick.

I don't think I could stand a wig on my head for long, but I REALLY want extensions. The halo kind, which cost 300+, so considering how often I'd be able to use it, it's not worth it. I do LOVE trying on wigs though. My father owned a Millinery, and the mannequin heads all had wigs. Oh yeah, I had loads of fun with the wigs. You can really do so much with them.

Eva is the one with the wigs! http://www.voguewigs.com/eva-gabor.html

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hi all, been really busy so haven't been on in awhile.

Quick happy story. I've been obsessed with hummingbirds since I saw my first one many years ago upstate. Since then, I've been obsessed with seeing one here on Long Island.

Well, 2 years ago, I saw my first one ever on Long Island and this morning a hummingbird visited the feeder I have up, three times already.

We have a huge trumpet vine out front next to the feeder and lo and behold, there it was. I have been changing the sugar water like I'm supposed to and was getting discouraged but today, there it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy right now and am crying but in a good way!

 

[magsrags]

Hi all, been really busy so haven't been on in awhile.

Quick happy story. I've been obsessed with hummingbirds since I saw my first one many years ago upstate. Since then, I've been obsessed with seeing one here on Long Island.

Well, 2 years ago, I saw my first one ever on Long Island and this morning a hummingbird visited the feeder I have up, three times already.

We have a huge trumpet vine out front next to the feeder and lo and behold, there it was. I have been changing the sugar water like I'm supposed to and was getting discouraged but today, there it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy right now and am crying but in a good way!

I'm excited for you! They are amazing little creatures and I saw 1 here 3 times last year at the butterfly bushes. Have to get myself a proper feeder.

 

[Imprfctme]

Hi all, been really busy so haven't been on in awhile.

Quick happy story. I've been obsessed with hummingbirds since I saw my first one many years ago upstate. Since then, I've been obsessed with seeing one here on Long Island.

Well, 2 years ago, I saw my first one ever on Long Island and this morning a hummingbird visited the feeder I have up, three times already.

We have a huge trumpet vine out front next to the feeder and lo and behold, there it was. I have been changing the sugar water like I'm supposed to and was getting discouraged but today, there it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy right now and am crying but in a good way!

That's awesome! I love Hummingbirds! How nice for you, what a treat.

 

[Imprfctme]

I've done it several times. It was easy peasy. I did it outside on days that were very warm and windless. Used different "tubs" : plastic dishpans of a variety of shapes and sizes. Water nice and warm, they settled right down into it. I kept the water just deep enough so they still had their head and most of their neck out of the water after they folded up their legs completely and were lying/sitting down.

I kept my hand on their neck the whole time. I used Dawn dishwashing liquid in the water. After soaking for about ten minutes, with me talking to them the whole time, and gently massaging the soapy water into their feathers and skin, and pulling gently on any matted butt feathers, I lifted them out and switched them to a second tub filled with plain water for rinsing.

For birds that needed it, I rinsed again in a third tub.

Used a cup to scoop up water and pour it over them. Slow and easy movement of my hands to begin with, but after a few minutes, could work fast as long as I stayed firm and deliberate and didn't flinch when they moved.

Lots of dry towels to wrap them and dry them with. Used a hair dryer on warm not hot, on gentle not high, and kept the dryer moving constantly.

I kept the towel around the top half of their body, and used the hair dryer on the bottom half; then switched when the top was dry.

Best tip I can give you is work on a table that is the right height for you so you don't get a backache from being stooped over. Also, if you keep a container of boiling hot water nearby, , you can add some of it to tub water that's getting too cool. Just lift the bird out for a few seconds when you add the hot water. If you can, wear something waterproof so you can cradle the wet bird against you if need be. I cut a hole in a big trash bag and put it on over my head like a poncho. You can add the hot water to the rinse tub when you're finally ready for rinsing. I wore rubber gloves the first few times, then didn't for the next few baths.

For washing the bird's head, I used my fingers and a tiny scrap of terry cloth toweling. When all done, I let the birds down into a small temporary pen that I set up in the sunshine on a clean grassy lawn. Sun to dry them; grass to keep them clean and not able to make mud and get dirty again.

Good luck!
-Carolyn252

Thanks for the advice, I ended up weeding for literally 8 hours instead - and I'm still not done. if I were a real farmer we'd all starve to death, lol. I am debating getting out there and finishing it this morning since it's going to be scorching hot the rest of the week but it's not looking good since I still can't see the floor of my office.

I have to show off my garden now - please all tell me it looks incredibly neat and tidy.







That's not even all of it, and I'm not all done as you can see in the last pic. I need to have a smaller garden next summer, I can't keep up with my ambitions. Plus this morning there were two adorable bunnies dust bathing themselves in the lovely fluffy spots that I created right next to my Moon and Stars watermelon seedling. So help me Jesus we are having fricassee if I catch them eating that seedling. I ended up going back out there half-way between finishing this post and a)hacking my black spot infected climber rose to the roots and spraying the heck out of it and the soil with organic spray and b) sprinkling Repels All granules everywhere. These are organic, stinky pellets that you can get that keep most everything away. I put a line around the coop too, heck, why not? Christine maybe you ought to try some of that, worth a shot. I also finally put up the solar blink lights which was incredibly easy I just had to get the wood screws and I rather like seeing them blink on. It's a reminder to me to make sure the coop is locked up because it's dusk out.

 

[Imprfctme]

So, I came inside to grab a glass of water and ask the DH a quick question, maybe 2 or 3 minutes, while my DD is outside playing happily in the sprinkler, when she busts into the house screaming "bear at the coop, bear at the coop!". So, do I Call the animal control? Grab a gun? Nooooo, I run out into the yard screaming at the bear, who was sitting right behind the run on his haunches looking at the chickens and sniffing. One of the chickens, who were out freeranging at the time, was only a few feet from him, but he didn't seem interested in them. I think he could smell the grain though. So, do I go back in? Call animal control? Grab a gun? Noooo, not me, I begin screaming again and chucking rocks (while watching the remainder of the woodland for another, perhaps larger bear, maybe like a sow). My DH comes running out and grabs a shovel and we are both there standing down the bear. What the hell is wrong with us? Anyway, the neighbors and their kids all come running. So there I am screaming at them to go the hell home, because they were creating a danger for us if we have to take our mind off this bear to keep them safe, and finally someone of my neighbors comes down with a pellet gun to sting the bear to get it out of there. I would really have rather been able to just sit on my deck and observe this creature, but that guy was not going to leave. It is unreal how unafraid they are of people.

We think this might be an orphan from this winters hunt since it is only about a 250 or 300 lb bear. It makes it really challenging because our yard (or the pocket of 4 houses that is our little settlement here) is surrounded by woods on all sides and we never know where they are going to pop out. It is really stressful because the kids are always outside playing and some of the places they play are cut off from a ready escape route. We actually have a "bear" drill, like you might have for "strangers"... that includes how to find a safe place based on where they are on the property.

Yeah, yeah, I know, they were here before we were, well, we have been on this property for 4 or 5 generations now and we never saw a bear before 5 years ago and then it was only a very rare occurance (that we would generall enjoy). Now I see bears on a daily basis and it just isn't safe for any of us (people, pets, livestock, or bears). I blame my neighbors for feeding the deer and leaving out the trash. I think it has baited them down off the mountain and they have made us part of the "route". I can tell you which of the 7 or so bears will be by on any given day. The bigger ones have a week route the smaller ones are about every 3 days. We do try to live in peace with our wild animal neighbors, I mean, it is why we live in the countryside, but this is a safety thing now. This week I have had 3 bear, one coyote, and 3 fox on the property. It has been like this for the past few years (well before the chickens), so while they might be adding an additional attraction, it is not the primary reason for these sightings. Before we had this property it was farmland for about 100 years and they had the whole thing cleared, which the dept of fish and game says has added to the problem since they are less likely to travel over a wide open field (so they stayed in the woods on the mountainside).

It is still better than a few years ago. We had 7 adults and 12 cubs running about the area immediately surrounding the property. There was one day when none of us could get out of our houses because an old male (estimated at about 800 lbs) decided to park himself in the middle of the yards (all of our houses surround a large several acre center yard) and sun himself for several hours before nosing around all the buildings for food for several more hours.

Well, back out to do the gardening. With the gun this time. I don't know, I garden to relax, somehow having to have a rifle next to me is not helping...

Christine, this is so scary to me. There have been black bear sightings not far away from us and I have to say I'd totally freak out if I saw one in my yard. We have an air horn that we got 2 summers ago to keep the coyotes away, maybe you should pick one of those up? In the absence of coyotes I have used it to scare the pants off of squirrels and it's pretty funny to watch them go flying up into the air when they are trying to eat my garden.

Not nice, I know.

I love that show Wild Justice about the California Fish & Game guys and it is so sad when they have to put down an animal. I think feeding wild animals causes so many problems and people don't really understand the implications of feeding. Maybe you can have a block party or something, a casual BBQ, and put the discussion out to the group like a question, as in, "How do we solve our bear problem?" so it's not just one person being the bad guy.

 

[Imprfctme]

OK everyone here is the latest picture of Chipmunk. Tell me that SHE doesn't have a saddle and/or hackle feathers - I really don't see it. Roberta, you would know best since you know who the parents are - any pointers? What breed combo is SHE?



Also I've noticed Tiana has a crossed beak lately, but it doesn't seem to be affecting her ability to eat. Is this something she'll grow out of?

 

[stoopid]

They are supposed to be pure bantam Cochins, got the eggs on e-bay.
I'm leaning more towards boy.... but not 100% sure.
Handsome little bugger.

Oh, and Carolyn252. If those start crowing, don't worry. I will correct the problem.
It may set you back a few months, but you WILL get girls.
I just think the hormones are kicking in, and they are getting pinker.
I ordered girls, and gosh darn it, you will get girls!!

 

[Dirty Dozen]

Sorry you're having a poop day. Keep wearing chickens on your head and you'll have lots of time alone. Kinda having a poop day myself, despite lovely weather. My parents are being mean for lack of a better way to put it. Now I'm watching War Horse which isn't a great choice. Not real uplifting. If one more horse dies I'm going to lose it.

Can't watch War Horse. I have horses and can't watch any movies where animals get hurt. People are fine, but not animals. Used to watch Flipper. Every time he beached himself I cried!

 

[Dirty Dozen]

Hi all, been really busy so haven't been on in awhile.

Quick happy story. I've been obsessed with hummingbirds since I saw my first one many years ago upstate. Since then, I've been obsessed with seeing one here on Long Island.

Well, 2 years ago, I saw my first one ever on Long Island and this morning a hummingbird visited the feeder I have up, three times already.

We have a huge trumpet vine out front next to the feeder and lo and behold, there it was. I have been changing the sugar water like I'm supposed to and was getting discouraged but today, there it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy right now and am crying but in a good way!

We get hummingbirds by my pond. Too lazy to put out feeder. One day I was wearing a red shirt and I stood close to it & it was mezmermized by the red. Try it!